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Neil Fong Gilfillan
Sep 13, 20174 min read
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Rachel Samson
Apr 17, 20174 min read
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Neil Fong Gilfillan
Apr 12, 20172 min read
227
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Neil Fong Gilfillan
Mar 31, 20171 min read
902
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Rachel Samson
Mar 20, 20175 min read
436
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Neil Fong Gilfillan
Feb 17, 20173 min read
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Call and Response Jam for You and Your Students (Get Your Instrument Ready for this one!)
Your turn! Call and response is a great way to get students connecting their instruments to what they hear. It’s also a safe way to lead...
Neil Fong Gilfillan
Oct 22, 20192 min read
317 views
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Repetition and Practice Strategies: What We Learned From Playing String Commander
About a month ago, I was working with a student who was struggling with focusing on smaller sections of his music with practice. His mom...
Neil Fong Gilfillan
Mar 1, 20185 min read
195 views
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Review - Beyond the Music Lesson: Habits of Successful Suzuki Families
Christine Wilson Goodner’s Beyond the Music Lesson is a well-thought out resource written for Suzuki parents and teachers alike. My...
Neil Fong Gilfillan
Aug 18, 20172 min read
139 views
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Practice Ideas for You
Often studio parents will fill us in on their practice week like this: “We did x, y, z, and then, because we felt like it, we made a...
Rachel Samson
May 1, 20175 min read
199 views
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High Definition for the Practicing Parent
Chili takes a moment to self reflect. Photo cred: Keli Cardoso de Melo Ever feel like you're only getting a fraction of the work done at...
Rachel Samson
Apr 17, 20174 min read
109 views
0 comments


Put Your Phone Down, Flip It And Reverse It: Learning Music With The Selfie Cam
Lights, Camera, Action! Most of my cello teachers had a mirror that we would use in lessons, and they suggested having one at home to get...
Neil Fong Gilfillan
Apr 12, 20172 min read
227 views
0 comments


The Non Fancy Guide to Controlling Vibrato
Kung Fu Movie Trailer or Cello Vid? Read on to find out... Last week, at the request of some of my orchestra director friends, I put my...
Neil Fong Gilfillan
Mar 31, 20171 min read
902 views
0 comments


Them's Fightin' Words! Using Verbal Judo to Guide Your Child in Practice
As I shared a few weeks back on Instagram, I have been reading George J. Thompson and Jerry B. Jenkins’ Verbal Judo: The Gentle Art of...
Rachel Samson
Mar 20, 20175 min read
436 views
0 comments


Think Like A Gamer: Power Up Your String Player Stats
Photo credit: Keli Cardoso de Melo As a kid growing up, video games pushed me into a world where the outcome was completely up to me....
Neil Fong Gilfillan
Feb 17, 20173 min read
348 views
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Divide and Conquer!
If you want to build a solid foundation for string playing, it's important to make sure that the player is focused on tone, intonation,...
Neil Fong Gilfillan
Dec 12, 20162 min read
266 views
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Practice a Straight Bow with "The Bow Ghost"
When I first learned this exercise as a student, it revolutionized how I approached the motion of keeping a straight bow. I hope it's as...
Neil Fong Gilfillan
Nov 4, 20161 min read
885 views
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Let's play Mississippi Stop Stop
Are you tired of playing Mississippi Stop Stop all by yourself? Problem solved--we can play it together in this video! If you were born...
Neil Fong Gilfillan
Sep 19, 20161 min read
114 views
0 comments


Want a better bow hold? Try the Mouse House.
If you want an easy way to remember how to set up a beautiful bow hold, check out the Mouse House. I made this video especially for my...
Neil Fong Gilfillan
Sep 19, 20161 min read
246 views
0 comments


3 Ways to Make Your Practice Space Better
Practice makes permanent, so make sure you're set up for success! These tips don't just work for violin, viola, and cello--they work for...
Neil Fong Gilfillan
Sep 13, 20161 min read
133 views
0 comments


Practicing Cello - Let's Do This!
Even though every student is unique and has their own challenges to overcome on cello, the basics of good practicing stay the same. Most...
Neil Fong Gilfillan
Oct 30, 20144 min read
79 views
0 comments
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